Avoiding revision? Ten novels to procrastinate with this exam season
April has arrived once more, which for students means only one thing: exams are just around the corner again.
If you’ve run out of good things to watch on Netflix but are still dying to avoid your revision, then I’ve got you covered, with another list of books that you can dive into and get an hour or two’s break:
Image Credit: MiraCosic on Pixabay
- The Exact Opposite of Okay, by Laura Steven
If you’re looking for something funny, fast to read and totally feminist, then I definitely recommend this one. It’s only around 340 pages so could easily be read in an hour or two’s revision break and it’s everything you’ve ever wanted. The main character, Izzy O’Neill, is hilarious but it also touches on serious topics like revenge porn, slut shaming and the myth of the friend zone. Also the sequel is already out so you can binge both back to back.
2. To Kill A Kingdom, by Alexandra Christo
A Little Mermaid retelling, but our Ariel (Lira) is a vicious siren who becomes human as a punishment from her mother, the Sea Queen. In order to return to the sea and regain her siren legs, she has to kill a sailor, but not just any sailor — a Prince who sidelines in killing sirens.
3. Vicious, by VE Schwab
Hey I’m at least changing up the VE Schwab book this time, so you can forgive me right? Vicious is a short read, at only 340 pages, but it’s packed with action, villains and revenge. The book follows Eli and Victor, two former friends and college roommates, who have gained superpowers after near death experiences, and unfurls through a non-linear chronology that reveals how the two came to be enemies.
4. A Series of Unfortunate Events, by Lemony Snicket
If you loved the Netflix show, then perhaps try the series of books that inspired it. It’s a long series of 13 books, but they are all under 400 pages and exam season lasts a couple of weeks, so you could probably get a good way through the series by the end.
5. Heist Society, by Ally Carter
A fantastically fun teenage heist romp, Heist Society follows Kat Bishop and her crew as she is pulled back into the family business (theiving). Kat has to rob an incredibly secure art gallery in order to return a mobster’s art collection to him, or risk her father being killed.
6. Cross My Heart, by Carmen Reid
One of my favourites and an incredibly underrated historical fiction book, Cross My Heart follows teenage Nicole as she joins the Belgian Resistance during WWII and aims not to get caught by the Nazis. An incredibly fast paced and engaging book at only 384 pages to boot, this is a book you could easily finish in one afternoon.
7. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
Fan of the film? Then try the book which it was based off, an epistolary novel which follows Charlie as he writes letters to an unnamed friend throughout his first year of high school. It’s only 230 odd pages as well, so not too much of a distraction.
8. The Girl From Everywhere, by Heidi Heilig
Love time travelling ships? Then this book is perfect for you as it follows Nix, the daughter of a captain who can sail anywhere, in anytime, as she attempts to help him find the map that will lead him back to her mother in 1868 Honolulu, even though in doing so, Nix risks her entire existence being erased.
9. The Language of Thorns, by Leigh Bardugo
I actually read this one myself during exam season last year, and it’s perfect — it’s full of short stories, so you can take them in small chunks as a reward for finishing work. As they’re not directly connected to the main Grishaverse, just stories that happen within the world, you can read them without any prior knowledge of the rest of the series.
10. Artemis Fowl, by Eoin Colfer
The film version is FINALLY coming out this summer, so if you’re wanting to get familiar with the story before that, or wanting to refamiliarize yourself with the world, then I’d definitely recommend it. The book follows young criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl as he attempts to steal fairy gold. It’s a captivating world, a fast paced story, and will be the perfect distraction from your exams.
Originally published at https://www.thenationalstudent.com.